Virtue and Piety in Early Islam: The Sermons and Sayings of Imam Ali. The sermons of Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661), first Shia imam and fourth Sunni caliph, and son in law and cousin of the prophet Muhammad, constitute some of the foundational materials for the study of virtue ethics in Islam. In this mini-seminar, we will read and discuss texts and studies to get a glimpse of the nascent Islamic view on virtue and piety. We will also read and discuss material on the early Islamic sermon of pious counsel, including sermons by Muhammad and other early preachers.